Ivan Gakhov becomes the first champion of the ATP Challenger Eurofirms Girona-Costabrava after his rival, Spend Eliaswas forced to withdraw at the end of the second set, with a result of 7-5/4-6, for physical problems.
Gakhov will remember Girona as the place where he succeeded the first title of his career. The 26-year-old left-handed tennis player benefited from conditions and a privileged physique to become the Girona Challenger champion after his rival, the 32-year-old Portuguese, noticed a hamstring discomfort and chose not to continue.
Beyond the purely sports field, the ATP Challenger Girona closes with one balance more than positive by the organization, even better than expected in a beginning, and with a attendance success at Club Tennis Girona: the final was contested with an absolute full house, of almost a thousand peopleand the entry had to be limited when reaching the maximum allowed, as also happened during the semi-final, where Gakhov-De Jong and Martínez-Elias faced each other.
Tribute to Tommy Robredo
«Tennis in Girona is also first class». This was the motto of the tournament which was held for the first time in Girona, and which it hopes to continue doing in future editions. Under this premise, the first edition could not close without a tribute to best Girona tennis player in historyOlotino Tommy Robredo.
Yesterday, after the dispute between Gakhov and Elias and the award ceremony, the ATP Challenger closed with a emotional tribute to Tommy Robredogiving him an award as a recognition of his spectacular career.